For the love of Gluten Free

Gluten..hmmph what is it good for!

Gluten….It lands me in hospital! Yep you read it correctly. I struggle with asthma that is caused by reflux which I get chronically when I eat gluten and especially wheat. So when I’m naughty and think a little here and a little there won’t hurt…I’m wrong and I land up in casualty with severe asthma, kicking myself for thinking I could get away with it.

Many people react differently to gluten, however, without going into the scientific studies behind it, it is really apparent that gluten is becoming a major public enemy.

In 2016 I cut out all wheat and gluten as well as eliminated the majority of refined sugar from my life. Just by doing this and only eating when I was hungry, I lost 14 kilos in 6 months. I don’t believe in dieting, however when we learn what our bodies like and don’t like we can make good clean choices. I still indulge in a little treat here and there as that is reality, but they are of the gluten free variety.

There are quite a few really good gluten free product suppliers in South Africa, but sadly you will find the products extremely expensive. As a result I have started a mission to make my own favourites such as rusks, scones, pancakes and brownies to start.

I have also decided to not re-invent the wheel so to speak, but to use a range of gluten free flours and mixes that I have come to love and trust. The quality is superb and consistent, the range is fairly wide and their prices are not too excessive.

Natures Choice is one of the brands I’m referring to. In tomorrow’s Test Kitchen Tuesday I will attempt to make buttermilk rusks – a South African tradition – so delicious dunked in your coffee first thing in the morning or as an afternoon pick me up.

But for today, especially as it’s the day before Valentine’s Day I am featuring another wonderful gluten free product, found at Dischem called Glutagon. The brownie mix is amazing, even gluten eaters don’t realise they are eating a gluten free brownie, especially when I add my delicious dark chocolate ganache to the top. So quick and easy to make, this is one product to keep on hand for those sweet tooth cravings or an unexpected visitor.

Brownies

Colour some white chocolate and pop into a heart tray, into the fridge for a few minutes and top the brownie for a pretty little I love you gift….or just give it to yourself…we need to love ourselves too in order to be healthy.

So stick around this week for updates and gluten free recipes….here’s to a healthy week!